COLUMBIA, SC (March 21, 2013) – The Powerball® jackpot has swelled to $320 MILLION for Saturday night’s drawing, making it the fifth largest jackpot in game history with a cash payout of $198 million.

This time last year, the run up to an unprecedented Mega Millions® jackpot of over half-a-billion dollars was the topic of conversation. Powerball® players are wondering if this jackpot has similar magic.

The lottery reports swift ticket sales.

“When we post a jackpot of this magnitude, it gets attention. Those that don’t play very often decide to take a chance and many first-time players enter the game,” said the Lottery’s Executive Director Paula Harper Bethea. “As always, we encourage everyone to please, above all else, play responsibly.”

The odds of winning the jackpot are long, about 1 in 176 million.

There are other prizes besides the elusive jackpot. A Myrtle Beach woman’s ticket proved lucky for the March 9 drawing, she won $2 million. Wednesday night’s drawing produced a $10,000 winner in South Carolina.

South Carolinians wanting to take a chance on Saturday night’s drawing for $30 million must purchase tickets by 9:59 p.m. for the 10:59 p.m. drawing.

Powerball® tickets cost $2 and are available at lottery retailers statewide.

Players can purchase PowerPlay® for an extra $1 to see their non-jackpot winnings increased by set prize amounts. Match 5 white balls with PowerPlay® to win an automatic $2 million.